


Peer Review

by VioletArrows



Category: Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Genre: Adventure, Character Development, Friendly banter, Gen, I absolutely can write short works., Mild Language, Short Story, an ace an aro and a bi walk into a bar, blink and you might miss the ship, multibook epic or drabble there is no inbetween
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-23
Updated: 2021-01-23
Packaged: 2021-03-15 14:07:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,945
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28939689
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VioletArrows/pseuds/VioletArrows
Summary: A Redguard, an Imperial, and an Akaviri walk into a Dwarven ruin and are at each other more than the monsters.
Kudos: 1





	Peer Review

**Author's Note:**

> This is unrelated to Starfall; an AU if you will. Just something short that's been bobbing around from my current Skyrim playthrough.

As the Dwarven Colossus rumbled and ground its gears, the three explorers hastily retreated behind the small hill of rubble that it had dislodged in the fight. One step, two steps… and it fell to its knees. The rest came down with a room rattling crash and a cloud of dust and debris raining from the ceiling.

“Finally…” Violet breathed a sigh of relief and slid down into sitting on the ground. “You boys alright?”

Kaidan nodded and got to his knees beside her. “Yeah. What about you, though? Get back to working on that gash in your leg.”

“I’ll take care of it,” Lucien said. He pulsed a dim, yellow-white light into his palm. “Can I?”

Violet nodded and followed his lead, carefully stretching her leg out and turning her hip up so he could get a better angle through her tunic and all the blood. That damned colossus had an entire harpoon launcher in one of its arms and she was nearly pinned to the ground through her thigh.

“I feel like that could have gone better,” she grunted.

“And it would have, if someone here, no names though, had waited until Star gave the all clear.” Kaidan was staring directly at Lucien.

He scoffed in indignation.“I was trying to warn her that it was about to turn on her! The gyro column in its spine was clicking at a different frequency—”

And Kaidan grit his teeth. “And you had to warn her by firing at them?!”

“To distract it from bucking her across the room? YES!”

“Oh gods you two, please don’t. At least wait until we’re in a cozy tavern or I’m curled up in bed with my tea. _Then_ you two can entertain me by fighting over my good graces,” she huffed at them. The two men rolled their eyes at Starfall and went back to fretting over her, even though she was both the most resilient and dangerous of all three of them.

They learned from the steward in Riften that the Dwemer ruin nearby was starting to rumble the whole area, and they would be paid to investigate and possibly fix whatever the problem was. Lucien was able to find the most valuable texts and shut down any live machinery, Violet lent her support with healing, lock picking, magic, navigating small spaces, and supernatural senses, and Kaidan would scout, navigate the city, and keep the other two from getting themselves killed from being too fixated on history to pay attention to traps.

The whole investigation took days, not because of the crumbling ruins coming down to block their paths, or the murderous Dwarven machines coming from every steam pipe, but because the place was fully populated with Falmer, who while unhappy that they were losing large chunks of their city to thousands of years of neglect, still didn’t want them there, even if it was to ‘help’.

It all led down to this giant Dwemer monstrosity left to patrol for millennia, but unable to realize there was nothing left to patrol and no masters to tell it to stop. Its steps shook hallways, head crashed into crumbling ceilings, and tended to crush any attempts the Falmer tried in stopping it, usually by stomping them flat. Neither Lucien nor Violet enjoyed seeing that. Kaidan thought the little cannibalistic bastards deserved worse.

Thankfully, they were slightly better equipped than the Falmer in demolishing the thing thanks to Violet’s ability to heal and imbue lightning to their weapons, Lucien and Violet’s technical know-how, and Kaidan’s ability to pretty much shrug off nearly anything that came his way. They were more in danger from the colossus accidentally caving the entire place in from the thrashing and fighting.

“Are you able to stand?” Lucien stood up and held his hand out to her.

“Should be.” Violet tested her leg by shaking it around, then grabbed his hand and pulled herself to her feet. A few shifts back and forth on her feet worked, but hopping on it made her stumble and grab Lucien's arm again. “Rest will fix it the rest of the way. Yes. I know I should have fixed it immediately, but I didn’t want to leave you two to fend for yourselves.”

“At least you didn’t bleed out. Then you would have done that, anyway.” Kaidan shook his head.

“I didn’t leave it that bad off. I’m getting better about knowing my limits, Kai.”

He looked at her thoughtfully for an uncomfortable while. “Sure you do, darlin’.”

“Oh dear,” Lucien sighed. “ _Pet names_ are coming into play.”

Violet wasn’t quite sure if that meant that Luci was getting uncomfortable or if he was about to turn passive-aggressive. It could swing either or both ways with him, honestly. “Do you want one, Luci _dear_?”

He flushed slightly. “I… I’d rather you didn’t. Nothing personal.”

“You sure? She’s already put it out there. Or do you need to hear it from me?” Kaidan asked and waggled his eyebrows.

Lucien gave a little groan. He’d seen the two of them roaming in and out of Falkreath all those months ago, sometimes rich, and sometimes bloody, but always alive and back for more. He figured if they could get themselves into trouble so frequently and still come out on top, that they were just what he needed to navigate this frigid, miserable, war-torn country.

As it turned out, the reason they were able to weather so much was because they were both losing their minds. Between them fueling each other’s terrible and dangerous habits, and nearly destroying everything they came in contact with in the most overblown ways possible, most of what they did made little sense to Lucien, though actions and words were two different things. Talking to them, you’d think they were fine. Mostly. But he’d paid, they indulged him sometimes (like taking him to Dwemer ruins when they both clearly despised the places) and they gave him very little trouble (except when he deserved it). He admitted to himself that he had warmed up to them a little.

But the long-term quest they were on… he was not meant to be a part of that. Best to just get his work done and be out of their hair.

“No. Now if you don’t mind? Before the Falmer come to investigate why all the rumbling’s finally stopped.” Lucien was starting to sound tired as well.

Violet nodded to him. “Sorry, Luci. I’ll see if that walking battering ram had anything interesting or useful inside. Something that big might even be powered by an entire array of soul gems.”

“A shame that the Dwarves didn’t leave instruction manuals or engineering schematics nearby.” He followed her up to the colossus and watched her dive in with a set of tools she’d taken from a workshop early on.

“Even if they did, neither of you would be able to _read_ them,” Kaidan said with just a little bit of venom towards Lucien.

“True. But just to have them is an amazing first step,” Lucien replied. Don't take the bait.

Violet was busy popping one of the brass panels open on its back. It was just large enough for her to fit into, and she was already reaching in and pulling bits of metal hammered into strange shapes out. “Heavy… junk… garbage… can’t use it… Ohh…”

“What did you find?” Lucien’s ears perked up.

The little mage scuttled deeper into the chest cavity and started struggling. Kaidan tilted his head at her (very grabbable) bottom half squirming around trying to stabilize herself from falling in face first. He covered his grinning mouth and side-eyed Lucien beside him, hoping that his eyes weren’t shining too viciously.

“Almost got it…” she muttered.

“Do you need help, Star?” Kaidan asked, his voice level. ‘Please say yes.’

“Damn it, I can’t quite reach it and I don’t want to get stuck in here.”

Lucien could plainly see the telling mischief in Kaidan’s eyes without even fully looking at him, but kept his mouth shut. They butted heads on account of their… different backgrounds, and he suspected that if Violet wasn’t there to keep them both on the level, Kaidan would have done far more than simply berate him. Though, it had been a short while and a lot of that first impression was gone, leaving a softer demeanor underneath all the muscles and barely restrained temper. He simply shook his head and left to see if there was anything else in the room worth investigating.

Lucien was halfway up the stairs to the lift before Violet’s piercing shriek shot through the back of his head. ‘And here we go.’ He turned to see Kaidan sitting on the machine's back, with Violet's boots flailing around in an effort to turn herself over and around to get out. It would've been nice to be able to laugh, except that Violet… _felt_ very strongly. About everything. And all she needed was to hear him laughing too and think they were ganging up on her, and then he’d be finding his own way back to Riften. Instead, he covered his mouth with his sleeve and chuffed into it.

“You alright, boss?” He said, avoiding both the topic and Kaidan himself.

“NO! Gods-fucking-dammit, Kaidan!” Her voice echoed around the inside of the machine.

“Sorry, love. Had to,” Kaidan chuckled.

“No, you didn’t, you ass!”

“Fine, fine. Sorry.” He leaned in and grabbed her by the hips, pulling her back out and setting her on the edge. “Look me in the eyes and tell me you wouldn't have done the same.”

“No, I wouldn’t have shoved you into a hole full of sharp metal and crystals,” she hissed and gently smacked a dark purple crystal against his forehead, making him flinch and panic for just a second. “Oh, stop it, it’s already full, and I have to cast the spell.”

“You never know,” Kaidan mumbled.

“I do, actually.”

“Find anything, boss?” Lucien came down again and picked through the pile of components.

“Some good bolts for your crossbow.” She handed down a large cartridge full of metal bolts.

“Ah! I must thank you two for that. The new reload mechanism is much easier to handle,” he said and transferred them to his quiver. Even though he was marginally more proficient as a mage, they already had a far, far more powerful one in Starfall, so they both provided and taught him how to use a crossbow to cover their bases. Kaidan was a surprisingly good teacher.

Kaidan nodded. “Was tempted to keep it for m’self, but I can't let my bow go. Grew up with it.”

“And now, the treasure…” Violet held out her hand and there were diamonds, rubies, and a thick gold chain woven between her fingers. “…which will be distributed after a peer review. And you’re both on thin fuckin’ ice.”

They both grumbled at her.

“Grousing is included in the assessment.” All the gems went into a little pouch on Violet’s belt.

Kaidan then helped her down and pointed to the side of his head. “Yeah, well, you’re reckless and the source of this one damn grey hair.”

“Sorry, Violet.” Lucien nodded towards her. “I’ll try harder not to be so…”

She gave him a pat on the back. “Patronizing.”

He frowned sheepishly. “Oh. Really?”

“Yeah. And mouthy. But I guess that's part of your charm,” she smiled up at him and patted his shoulder.

“Only if you stop being mouthy first,” Kaidan scoffed.

“I can go back to being angry and miserable all the time, if you want.” Violet shot back.

“No.”

“Alright, then.” She patted him on the cheek.


End file.
